The Friday Night Club

Description

While men have long been credited with producing the first abstract paintings, the true creator was actually a woman – Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, who was inspired by her mystic visions. Acclaimed authors Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, and M.J. Rose bring her story to life in this groundbreaking novel.
 
Early 1900s: The world belongs to men, and the art world in Stockholm, Sweden, is no different, until Hilma af Klint brings together a mysterious group of female painters and writers—Anna, Cornelia, Sigrid, and Mathilda—to form their own emotional and artistic support system.  The members of the Friday Night Club find themselves thrust into uncharted territory when Hilma and her best friend, Anna, begin dabbling in the occult, believing that through séances they can channel unseen spirits to help them achieve their potential as artists. “The Five,” as Hilma referred to them, was a group of immensely talented, fascinating women whose lives and work were cast into obscurity…until now.
 
The Present: Over a century later, an associate curator at the Guggenheim Museum, Eben Elliot, brings the Hilma af Klint show to New York where he uncovers questions about the Five and how the modern day art world is funded, which puts him in a precarious position both emotionally and professionally, as he witnesses how history can be manipulated.
 
The Friday Night Club is an illuminating historical novel that explores destiny, passion, and the threads that connect five women as they challenge artistic and societal traditions.”In their important novel, The Friday Night Club, co-authors Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, and M.J. Rose have unearthed the captivating story of the ground-breaking Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, arguably the world’s first abstract artist who may well have inspired male painters like Wassily Kandinksy who typically receive credit for pioneering abstraction. This spell-binding exploration of the life and legacy of a long-forgotten woman and the circle of gifted friends who worked alongside her is a must-read.” 
—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian

“The Friday Night Club has everything I love in a novel: art, history, secrets, mysteries, friendships and love—along with a propulsive narrative. Kudos to Lundberg, Richman and Rose—and many thanks to them for bringing Hilma af Klint to life and giving her the attention her art deserves.”
—B.A. Shapiro, New York Times bestseller of Metropolis and The Art Forger
Sofia Lundberg is a journalist and former magazine editor. Lundberg is the shining new star of heartwarming—and heart-wrenching—Scandinavian fiction. She lives in Stockholm with her son.

Alyson Richman is a USA Today and #1 international bestselling author. She is an accomplished painter and her novels combine her deep loves of art, historical research, and travel. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two children.

M.J. Rose is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She grew up in New York City exploring the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park.Reader’s Guide
The Friday Night Club by Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, and M. J. Rose
Discussion Questions:

1.      At its core, The Friday Night Club is about the artist’s pursuit to search and understand the universe. Do you feel a connection with Hilma and De Fem’s quest to find deeper meaning in the world around them? Do you admire their perseverance, since they had so little support from society and the artistic world?

2.      The exploration of the atom, the X-ray, and other scientific discoveries contributed much to Hilma’s artistic vision. Can you think of examples of how art and science inspire each other today?

3.      To get funding for the exhibition, Eben navigates a very politicized art world. How museums must navigate getting such financial support from corporate sponsors has been in the news recently. Do you feel ethical compromises justify getting funding to promote the arts?

4.      Hilma and De Fem created a very modern and pro-feminist agenda that was ahead of its time. What do you think inspired them to be independent and forward-thinking when all around them women were being relegated to the roles of mothers and wives?

5.      As a self-described art detective, have you ever thought of museum curators as art detectives? What aspect of Eben’s job did you find the most surprising or interesting?

6.      Hilma and Anna had a lifelong friendship and possibly a love affair. Do you feel that their relationship influenced their art and the creation of the Paintings for the Temple?

7.      Spiritualism and paranormal activity are often met with cynicism and doubt. How do you feel it was portrayed in the book? Do you feel these women were connected to a higher power?

8.      Would it change your opinion of a piece of art if the attributed artist didn’t work alone? Would it change your opinion of the artist?US